LaMotte MF 3-0035 - Manual (Page 10)

can reach as high as 100,000/100 mL. E. coli levels reaching over 27,000/100 mL
were found in an area where gulls routinely roost in Milwaukee.
Reducing bacterial water pollution involves a whole community working together.
State, Federal, and Local Water agencies, EPA, community leaders, teachers,
students, neighbors, farmers, chemical companies- everybody must work together to
plan a best management strategy for your community. Additional tools are available
under Resources to make an action plan. Education programs show the impact of
individual behaviors on public health and water quality and create a culture for
change.
Def i ni tions
CFU: colony-forming units or colonies or cells, one CFU is larger than a
period(.), can be seen without magnification, and may contain more
than 10,000 individual bacterial cells, all clones of the original
bacterial cell
E. coli
(Esch e richia coli): those bacteria which grown as dark blue/purple colonies on the
Coliscan
® plate as a result of the production of both glucuronidase
and galactosidase enzymes. These bacteria are of fecal origin.
To tal Coliforms: those bacteria which make up the sum of the E. coli (blue/purple
colonies) + other coliforms. The other coliforms will appear as
pink/magenta colonies because they produce galactosidase, but
NOT glucuronidase. Species of the genera Citrobacter,
Enterobacter, Escherichia, and Klebsiella are the main groups of
coliform bacteria.
Non-Coliforms: bacteria that form colonies that are not blue/purple or
pink/magenta on Coliscan ® medium and are not considered to be
of fecal origin. They live naturally in soil and water.
Patho gen: disease causing microbe
Nonpoint
source pol lu tion
(NPS): pollution that cannot be traced to a single point, such as an outlet
or pipe, because it comes from many individual places or a
widespread area (typically urban, rural, and agricultural runoff, acid
mine drainage).
Point source
pol lu tion (PS): pollution that can be traced to a single point source, such as a pipe
or culvert (Example: industrial and wastewater treatment plant, and
certain storm water discharges).
Pol lu tion: contaminants in the air, water, or soil that cause harm to human
health or the environment.
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